Imperio
by 11inchpineanddragonhearstring
Summary: Two things JK did wrong. 1. Underpowered the brains of Death Eaters. 2. Allowed Harry to get away from the Dursleys unscathed. Harry never went to school. Never saw a human face except for the Dursleys. Never played, laughed, or smiled. Hermione was a mere target. Naive, scared, and innocent. And her mind an open target.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

"How is she?"

"The girl?"

"Yes."

There was a soft crinkling of parchment as a set of pages flipped.

"She's almost perfect."

"Qualities, Lucius. Qualities."

"No friends, her personality drives them away. Very studious and capable. Fairly high raw magical power."

"A mudblood?"

"A mudblood."

A quiet chuckle resonated through the large room.

"All the better. And what of the boy?"

"The old fool was tricked easily. All your compulsion charms worked. The boy has grown up and is ready for our purposes."

"Will he be easy to turn?"

"If the girl succeeds in her mission."

There was a pause, then the second voice spoke.

"Lucius, she leaves for King's Cross now. Do not be detected."

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

Hermione Granger was a witch.

Yes, a witch. That funny McGonagall woman had proved it. First she'd broken the primary theory of conservation of mass, then she'd broken the first laws of thermodynamics, then she'd created life.

Hermione hugged her textbooks to her protectively. She'd gotten them a few weeks ago at Diagon Alley – _Diagon Alley! – _and she already knew how to use several spells. She listed them off in her brain – Wingarium Leviosa. Check. Lumos. Check. Incendio. Incindeo. Check.

She'd find friends at Hogwarts, she knew. Hogwarts she would be happy, with friends, learning. Then when she'd learned everything she could learn, she would find her parents and her physicist grandfather and they'd bridge the gap between -

There was a '_pfft-pop'_ sound and a quick, harsh voice, a blinding flash of white light, and then nothing.

Nothingness.

* * *

Consciousness.

Slowly swimming world, whirling in existence.

The boy sat up in his bedroom. A puddle of blood was splattered onto his floor, leaving a bright red stain on the old, darker splotches that painted parts of the floor and wall.

Vernon had been really angry that time. When he got the letter addressed to "Harry James Potter, the Cupboard Underneath the Stairs".

No-one lived under the stairs, except for him. But his name wasn't Harry.

The name held some slight recognition. When he was very young, Harry had been a name of some sort, but he'd never heard it since. Boy. Freak. Waste of space. But mainly boy.

Now there were voices, arguing outside.

Boy was not very good at talking, but he was a good listener. So he listened.

_"Harry isn't here," _Vernon was saying again. _"He's out. Away."_

The other person, who sounded like an older man, was talking about Hogwarts. Boy almost smiled. Old people were stupid and senile. Maybe old person was confused, and didn't know what he was thinking about.

But no-one knew what Boy was thinking, either.

**Yeah, I know. Short chapter. This is just an introduction, I'll be posting Chapter 1 in a few hours.**


	2. Chapter 2

**DarkAngelAlice13: Thanks**

**Guest: Harry's going to be worse. Sorry.**

**So, hi all. I was really going to throw this idea aside, when I decided to check status and saw I'd gotten 2 reviews and a few hundred views. Seriously?**

**I was born in the Halo fanfiction universe, and they're a small bunch of tight knit, friendly community. I tried writing Star Wars, and after writing Halo, I was really depressed to find out that no-one wanted to listen to a lonely n00b trying to make a good story. I gave up on that, and just decided to write Harry Potter for fun. And I'm already getting so much input? Thanks! Keep the reviews going, it encourages me.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Introductions**

She was floating.

A dreamy, happy sensation was running through her, as she gathered her books and exited the car. Her parents were whispering to her softly.

Hermione felt herself shake her head and hug them.

_Such petty, foolish emotions._

For a second, Hermione almost snapped back to reality.

_What? _She asked curiously. Maybe when students went to Hogwarts, they had a friend in their minds. A magical friend in their minds. Hermione smiled at the thought.

_I am Lucius_, the friend said. _You will do as I say._

Hermione didn't care. Something twitching in the back of her mind furiously reminded her that she _should _care, but she didn't want to. It was too... _tiring_, Lucius finished for her.

_I am tired_, she thought. Warmth spread through her body.

_You are tired,_ he said. _Go to sleep. I will take care of you._

_I want to stay and see, _she complained. _I want to see and look._

_Alright,_ Lucius said benevolently, like a parent letting a child stay past her bedtime._ You can stay._

A voice reminded her of her parent's presence. "'Mione?"

A flare of annoyance surged in her as her Dad used her 'pet' name. Lucius talked to her. _Your parents are silly. Tell them that you should run through Platform 9 and 3/4s. _

"Daaaaaad," Hermione whined. Her father chuckled and ruffled her already bushy hair.

"It's OK," he smiled. "You just looked a bit lost in there."

Hermione smiled, and suddenly felt a warm glow running through her. "I'm not lost," she said airily. "I'm going to Hogwarts!"

Her father simply chuckled and ruffled her hair again, before turning to her mum.

"Coming, Emma?"

Mrs Granger looked around carefully and nodded.

Lucius quickly grabbed Hermione's hands and legs, made her grip onto her trolley and made her run. She felt herself be shoved through the stone wall, and out onto the other side.

The first thing Hermione saw as a green sign, _9 and 3/_4s. She was here, and she knew what to do. Lucius would help her.

She hugged her parents - Lucius made sure she did, she still loved her parents... didn't she? She asked Lucius. Lucius didn't say much.

Hermione stared at the train in front of her. _What should I do? _she asked Lucius.

_Get in the front. See who's there._

Hermione obeyed, swinging the door open and clambering in. Quickly, she took a seat in an empty compartment.

_I think you should say goodbye to your parents. That's a good idea._

Hermione stuck her head out and waved to her parents, who waved back. The train began to move slowly.

Lucius seemed to shudder inside her.

_What's the matter?_

_Nothing_, he replied slowly. _Go see if you can't find us some friends._

Hermione's smiled as she bounced out of her seat and scampered down the halls.

* * *

He was alone in the train.

The redheaded family - Boy didn't know that people could have red hair - had seen him and talked about Harry Potter, but Boy wasn't Harry. He was Boy.

He was confused. Magic, wands, whatever. The giant man who called him Harry had gotten him a wand, money, books, and robes. He was wearing them now - doing things early seemed to be proper.

There was a slight knock on the door, and a chubby, red faced boy entered, looking slightly flustered.

"Neville," he gasped. "Neville Longbottom. I'm looking for a toad..."

He petered of when he noticed Boy was staring at him blankly. He muttered a quick apology and moved off.

Not two minutes later, a girl entered, frowned at him, and began eyeing him coldly.

"Harry Potter."

Boy stared at her. "No."

"Yes. Do you have the scar?"

Boy frowned at her again.

"Yes. I am not going to show it to you."

The girl's face turned into a half sneer. "Why," she said slowly and clearly, "would I like to see your repulsive disfigurement left by a psychotic maniac so that I would fall down at your feet and begin kissing your toes?"

Boy stared back at her, slightly amused.

"It is good to see that you're not one of the Harry Potter groupies. Are you searching for a compartment to sit in?"

Hermione frowned. The _nerve_ of that boy! First he insisted that he was _not_ Harry Potter - some kind of rude spit-in-your-face manner of insulting other people's knowledge. How _dare _he challenge her well researched facts!

_Good_, Lucius whispered. _The Potter boy is an arrogant, insecure child. He is stupid. Think on it - Hermione Granger, best witch of her age, beats the Boy-Who-Lived. Does it not have a ring to it?_

Hermione frowned. Being recognized for her ability was one thing, but being a pompous pri-

_No, no, no, _Lucius reassured her. _Imagine what your parents will think! People will love you. You will have friends, friends who are like you and who like you. Don't you want that?_

Hermione froze. Memories of fleeing through the playground, large boys and girls shoving her to the ground and shredding her schoolbooks flooded her mind.

_Good friends. Friends. Like the storytale ones. _

Hermione shook herself. Yes, she had to have friends.

"No," she said curtly and coldly. "I would not contaminate myself with such as _you_."

With that she turned tail and marched out of the carriage.

* * *

_Why was I so mean to Har... to the Potter boy? _Hermione's bustling mind tried to sort itself out as she scrambled through the train. Lucius had told her that the Longbottom boy was of an Ancient and Noble house, and it was good to make strong alliances... or friendships. _Friendships._ The word made Hermione smile.

_He is a troublemaker_, Lucius told her. _You saw how he looked at you._ _He may be a hero, but you are above his level. Prove it._

Hermione frowned. _I... I guess__, _she thought reluctantly.

_Now,_ Lucius went on. _Look ahead. Hogwarts. Sorting. Which house would you prefer to be in?_

Hermione considered for a second. _Isn't Ravenclaw considered the brains?_

Mentally, Lucius seemed to shrug. _Stereotypically. But the hat does not go by what your abilities are. It goes for what your _values_ are. Do you pride yourself on knowledge as a means to the end?_

She thought for a moment. _Like, what do I hold dearest to me?_

_Yes._

_Then, I guess, knowledge isn't the most important thing. Loyalty. Honesty. Friendship, bravery... Love._

_Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, _Lucius said in her mind. _Hufflepuff, maybe. You are a hard worker, aren't you? You'd be good in Hufflepuff?_

Hermione considered for a moment. _I don't really mind, I guess, _she thought. _Wherever the hat put's me, I'll be best._

* * *

"My lord."

"Lucius. How goes your... mission."

"Her mind is simple. Organized, tidy. But full of fissures, ready to be exploited."

"I sense a 'but', Lucius."

"You have discerned correctly, my lord. The girl has... has a strong moral upstanding."

"Will she be easy to twist?"

"I have my doubts. She has fully embraced me, but is still curious about me. If I am not forthcoming, she may question a professor."

"Then force her not to."

"My lord... would it be wise to apply such strong pressure on her mind? It may completely turn her against us, and guarantee a difficult road. For one who has not practised Occlumency, she is... strong."

"Try and guide her in the right path. But you _cannot _lose her. She is instrumental in my plans for the Potter boy."

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

**Thanks for reading, and if you could drop a review (and if it's like, 'great chapter', don't bother. Review meaningfully.**

**Some of you may ask why Lucius is with Voldemort, not Pettigrew or Quirrel. Don't worry, that will be explained. Although in Canon Lucius didn't do anything for Voldemort till GOF (the diary incident was for selfish purposes) THIS IS FANFICTION. GET OVER IT.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"HARRY POTTER!"

McGonagall's cry echoed through the great hall, and immediately, whispers broke out through the hall. Except for one brunette first-year staring impassively from the Gryffindor table.

Harry, who had by now accepted the alias and apparent name, locked eyes with the elderly professor and stepped up to the stool, and shoved it on his head without ceremony.

_Oh... Merlin. _

Harry sat coolly under the sorting hat, as memories scrambled through his unprotected mind. Again. And again.

A memory brought to surface - fresh blood being spattered against a wall, Vernon beating him over and over again...

_Albus told me about this,_ the hat said slowly, _but I didn't realize it was this bad..._

For the first time, Harry showed some reaction. Shock ran through his features as he deftly plucked off the hat and threw it onto the ground. A collective murmur rose up around the tables.

Dumbledore stared. Lucius smiled, inside Hermione's head. _See, Hermione. He is nothing but a brat and an arrogant attention seeker._

McGonagall raised a hand against the murmurs and quickly strode towards Harry.

"Mr. Potter, please replace the sorting hat immediately to continue the sorting."

Harry shook his head. A small, almost imperceptible movement, yet the whole school caught it.

"Mr. Potter..." McGonagall's voice trailed off.

Harry stared each teacher in the face, feeling pricks in the back of his head.

_No. I will keep them safe. _His mind. The only thing he could protect from the Dursleys, and he was not going to surrender it to some... enchanted, dusty old hat.

Imperceptibly, Snape at the professor's table gave the slightest flinch of shock. Dumbledore, however, reacted differently.

"Minerva." The aging professor stood, and lifted a hand. McGonagall, surprised, glanced around, and backed away, replacing the sorting hat on it's stool.

The headmaster looked... A sort of hungry stare- into Harry's eyes. Harry starred back.

Then the headmaster began talking.

_Sorting... I haven't worked this hard since young Riddle came through fifty years ago... Oh, let's see, no... Hufflepuff? Definitely not... Ravenclaw... you have potential, Harry, but... no. Slytherin? Or Gryffindor? _

Harry shuddered. The man? In his mind?

_Memories. The mind. The only thing safe from Vernon and Dudley._

_I WILL NOT GIVE THEM UP!_

The presence remained continuing to blunder around for memories. But it seemed lost, confused.

_So,_ Harry thought. _There is a lack of character for you to judge. How... obvious. So you _

A ripple of surprise seemed to wash over the man, as another memory resurfaced. Blood splattering across the floor. Vernon's roaring, red face. Harry's pained, apathetic face, as he staggered along the ground.

_You have patience. Wisdom..._

_DO NOT SORT ME!_ Harry screamed

_My best guess would be..._

"Slytherin."

Instead of the hat's normal jovial shout, the headmaster's quiet voice echoed through the hall.

Snape shot a frowning glance at Dumbledore, but the rest of the professors simply looked shocked. The students began whispering.

There was a quiet, hesitant, clap from the blonde... Malfoy. Draco. The Slytherin table began applauding softly, but the rest of the student body sat in shocked silence.

Harry threw a short glare at Dumbledore, glanced at the Draco boy, then began walking towards the table.

* * *

**This isn't completely honest of me, but I'm updating now. Just so you know, I will almost always update on Wednesdays, but I will update extra every now and then. After I've finished thinking about this chapter, I will finish it and re-update.**

**An apologetic 11inchpineanddragonheartstring**


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